For Sale Or Swap Read online

  'Look at this one,' said Shelby, pointing. 'It's a mobile number, but it might be in Sydney.'

  Erin took the magazine from her. 'Sounds perfect. It could be a bit of a handful though.' She turned to face Shelby. 'Would you really swap Blue? He's not the best-looking horse in the world but he's quiet and great on the roads. It's good to have a horse you can trust.'

  Shelby scuffed her feet across the rough brick floor. 'If he's in Sydney then I can go and visit him on weekends. They might let me ride him sometimes, and I'd make a rule that we have to swap back whenever I want.'

  Erin licked her thumb and flicked through the magazine. She stopped and spread it out across her lap. 'Have you seen this page? It makes me so sad, but I always look through it, just in case.'

  The page was for 'Lost and Found', dedicated to people trying to track down horses that they'd sold, or looking for information about horses that they'd bought. Erin and Shelby leaned forward with their heads close together, poring over the page.

  Seeking info on Caesar, bought from sale yard. Possibly from Central Coast. Timid.

  Stolen. Grey mare. Greatly missed by owner. Please send our girl home.

  History for Lara. Appaloosa mare. Crescent moon brand. Any information good or bad appreciated.

  Stolen from Southern Highlands, black Shetland mare in foal. Dearly loved family pet.

  'Isn't that the saddest thing?' asked Erin, pulling the magazine towards her face for a better look at the photo. 'I can't imagine it.'

  Shelby mumbled in reply. She wasn't thinking about lost and found horses. She was thinking about the eye-catching brown pony for sale or swap. 'Can I borrow this?' she asked.

  'You can have it,' said Erin, standing up and adjusting her jodhpurs. 'I've got to get ready for my lesson now. Are you going to watch?'

  Shelby nodded. At fifty dollars each, Shelby's family couldn't afford lessons, so the closest thing for Shelby was to watch, and then apply what she'd learned on her own. Each weekend she rode Blue across the gully to the stables, leaving him in one of the spare yards. She would perch herself on the railing of the arena while the other girls had their lessons.

  Hayley Crook, who had her lesson earlier in the day, joined Shelby at the side of the arena. She was eating an ice-block.

  'Where'd you get that?' Shelby asked.

  'Mum's put a bar fridge in our tack room,' she replied.

  Typical, thought Shelby. Her family didn't even have ice-blocks at home, let alone in a spare fridge.

  'How are your horses going?' Shelby asked.

  Hayley nodded. 'Good. We sent Scamp up the gully.'

  Shelby inhaled sharply. Up at the end of the gully there was an abattoir.

  Hayley let out a bray of tinkling laughter. 'No, silly, to a trainer up there. He'll only be gone for a month.'

  'Phew,' said Shelby. She couldn't imagine sending Blue away for a month, but Hayley had other horses, so she might not miss him. Hayley's life was so different from her own. Shelby always felt a little bit shy around Hayley – she never really knew what to say. She wondered whether she would feel more confident if she had a better horse.

  Erin came around the far side of the arena, and for a minute she was in profile. Her leg closest to the instructor was firmly against the saddle, with her heel pushed down, but the one the instructor couldn't see was flapping in the breeze. Erin saw Hayley and gave a little wave. For a second she lost her balance, tipping slightly to the side.

  'Concentrate!' shouted the instructor, Miss Anita.

  Erin rolled her eyes at Hayley, and Hayley smiled back.

  'I saw that!' warned Miss Anita.

  At the end of her lesson Erin rode over to where Hayley and Shelby were standing.

  'Are you coming out again tomorrow, Hales?' asked Erin, patting Bandit on the neck.

  Hayley nodded.

  'Do you want to go out on a trail?'

  Hayley had finished her ice-block now and was chewing on the stick. She shrugged. 'OK.'

  Erin looked at Shelby. 'Want to come?'

  Shelby grinned. 'Great.'

  Shelby rode Blue home across the gully on a loose rein. Above her head a flock of cockatoos screeched to each other in their raucous voices, crash-landing in a nearby tree like kamikaze pilots. She had tucked Erin's magazine into the waistband of her pants, and it dug into her back as she rode along.

  She was looking forward to the ride tomorrow, but she was also a bit self-conscious. She'd never been out on a ride with Hayley before. Hayley's horses were beautiful. Even Erin's Bandit, while nothing out of the ordinary, was respectable-looking.

  Blue seemed oblivious to Shelby's daydreaming. He put one foot in front of the other all the way home, stopping square in front of the sliprail, where he waited patiently for Shelby to make up his evening meal.

  3 Pikers

  The downhill section between Blue's paddock and the stables was rocky and covered with sharp pebbles that slipped easily, but towards the bottom of the gully was a long sandy patch, occasionally dipping into shallow puddles.

  This was Shelby's favourite place to push Blue into a gallop. He enjoyed it too, flicking his tail, flattening his ears, and stretching out that little bit more than he was asked.

  At the very bottom of the gully was a causeway that dried up by mid-January, but for now it was swollen with recent rain, and the water spilled over it noisily – sounding like distant applause. Blue slowed down a fraction as he splashed through it, but picked up the pace again as soon as he hit the drier ground on the other side.

  Their sudden appearance surprised an elderly man out for an early morning walk with his dog. Blue skipped a beat, changing his leading leg. Shelby waved in greeting and urged Blue on to the top of the hill. There they stopped. Blue's sides expanded and contracted, but he stood still with his ears pricked, looking back the way they had come. She could see the whole gully stretched out in front of her. She took a deep breath, enjoying the fresh morning air that smelt like eucalypt, earth and mineral water.

  Shelby slapped Blue on the shoulder. 'Good boy,' she said. She pressed her calves to his sides and he walked down the shallow slope that led to the back gate of the stables.

  As she rode down the laneway between the two stable blocks she could see the three stables that Hayley's family hired. Erin had Bandit in the yard that usually held Scamp. Mrs Crook was brushing Ditto while Hayley sat in the doorway pulling on her boots.

  'Morning,' Shelby said, swinging her leg over Blue's back. She slid the reins over his head.

  'Do you want a halter?' Hayley asked, reaching into her storeroom and holding out a halter for Shelby.

  'Not that one,' Mrs Crook said. She turned to Shelby with a big smile. 'That's a good one. We don't want to get it dirty.'

  Blue's not dirty, Shelby thought, but when she looked at him she could see the grimy sweat stain around the edge of his saddle blanket.

  Hayley reached into the storeroom again, pulling out an old ragged halter. Its buckles were red with rust.

  'Thanks,' Shelby said, slipping off Blue's bridle.

  Hayley's tack room was the fanciest Shelby had ever seen. It had the same rough brick floor and corrugated iron walls that Erin's had, but it was much more spacious, because Hayley had three rooms in a row. The feed was kept in large clear plastic bins and not the corroded forty-four gallon drums that everybody else used. There were four saddles, all wrapped in cloth covers, and bridles in proper leather bridle bags. In the corner was a small table and Hayley's bar fridge. Two fold-out chairs stood against the side wall. Bales of hay were stacked in the corner and filled the air with their musty sweet smell.

  On the back wall, draped across coathangers and enclosed in plastic dry-cleaning bags, were masses of ribbons piled on top of each other, some purple, some green, but mostly red, white and blue striped with a gold fringe – Champion ribbons.

  Shelby looked out into the sunshine where Blue was standing with his ears drooped. He looked like a donkey. She thought again ab
out the ad she had seen. Fully educated. Royal quality. Blue was hardly even Pony Club quality. He was definitely a beginner's mount. Still, he was her beginner's mount.

  Mrs Crook stepped through the doorway, lifted one of the saddles off its peg on the wall and carried it over her forearm to where Ditto was tied in the yard. The saddle was old, but its leather was soft and smooth – not rough and rigid like Shelby's.

  Hayley rubbed her face with sunscreen carefully, so as not to smudge her mascara. She handed the tube to Erin, who squeezed a small amount into her hand.

  Shelby watched as Hayley's mother saddled the horse and wrapped his legs in protective bandages. The idea of her own mother trying to get a horse ready for riding made Shelby want to laugh. She wouldn't know which end was which.

  'Have you got your vest?' asked Mrs Crook.

  Hayley rolled her eyes. 'Do I have to?'

  'Yes, you do,' replied her mother.

  'It's so ugly,' Hayley complained. She disappeared into the tack room for a few seconds and came back pulling her arms through a dark blue padded body protector.

  Hayley led Ditto out into the laneway while her mother gave last minute instructions.

  'Watch out for snakes. Don't let him drink from any of those dirty puddles. Don't jump over anything – you never know what's on the other side. Keep on the sand where you can. You shouldn't really be taking him out there. We have to be ready for the next show, and we won't qualify for anything if he spends half the season lame.'

  'Yes, Mum.'

  'Just be careful.'

  The three girls led their horses to the end of the laneway where it opened out into a paddock. Mrs Crook boosted Hayley onto Ditto's back and held the stirrup steady while she pushed her foot into it.

  Shelby led the way towards the gate. Once she was out of earshot, she asked, 'Is your mum always like that?'

  'Like what?' asked Hayley.

  Shelby hesitated. 'Kind of . . . protective.'

  'I guess so,' Hayley replied with a shrug.

  'My mum wouldn't know the front of a horse from the back,' Shelby said, giggling.

  Hayley flicked her eyes at Blue, but she didn't say anything. 'So did you watch McLeod's Daughters the other night?' she asked Erin.

  Shelby had watched it. It was one of her favourite shows, and the only one she made an effort to watch every week. She was glad that she and Hayley had something in common.

  'Yeah. That's such a cool show,' said Erin.

  'You should come and watch it at my place,' Hayley said. 'Some of the others usually come over. Do you know Monica and Kim? They have the stables opposite mine. A few of the others from Pony Club come too.'

  'That would be fun,' said Erin.

  Shelby wondered if she was included in the invitation. Hayley hadn't actually looked at her while she was speaking. She decided to test the waters.

  'What time?' she asked.

  Hayley blinked. 'It's on at seven thirty.'

  That didn't make anything any clearer.

  They made their way through the back paddock of the property. The grass was tall and yellow, and whispered as the horses stepped through it. Scraggly eucalypts were clumped together here and there, dappling the ground with shade, and providing relief from the hot morning sun. There were about fifteen horses congregated around the dam – mostly broodmares and long-limbed racehorses being spelled between racing seasons.

  In the distance Shelby could see the riding school ponies trudging along nose to tail, the beginners on them clutching onto the front of the saddles. Lindsey, the girl who lived on the property and was about Shelby's age, was in the lead. Erin and Hayley waved to her.

  'Race you to the top of the hill,' said Shelby, gathering up the reins. She and Erin usually raced up this hillside.

  'No!' said Hayley. 'Ditto's not warmed up yet. Mum would kill me if he stretched a muscle.'

  'What about you?' Shelby asked Erin.

  Erin and Hayley exchanged a glance. 'Maybe in a minute,' she responded.

  'OK,' Shelby said. 'Meet you up there.' She leaned forward and Blue bounded up the slope.

  She heard a little yelp from behind her, and when she looked back she saw Ditto hopping up and down on the spot. Hayley tugged on the reins, trying to contain him.

  'What are you doing, you idiot?' Hayley yelled. 'You can't just go galloping off up the hill.'

  'Why not?' asked Shelby, turning Blue around and waiting for them to catch up. She looked at Erin, but Erin looked away.

  'Because it makes the other horses go berserk. Don't you know anything?' Hayley snapped.

  'Sorry,' said Shelby. She was surprised. She'd seen Hayley compete at the Pony Club gymkhanas. Horses ran around each other all the time there, but that never seemed to worry Hayley. It was almost as though out here she was scared.

  They made their way at a sedate pace across the paddock towards the far side, where it joined the trails through the gully. Shelby didn't know what to say so she kept quiet. She saw several logs on the ground that normally she would have jumped, but now she was worried about what the other girls might think.

  Erin and Hayley rode side by side, talking about different movies that they had watched and about the horse show that was coming up in a few weeks' time.

  'I was hoping to take Scamp, but I don't think he'll be back,' Hayley said.

  'I'll have to get Bandit's mane pulled before then,' Erin said, flicking at it with her hand.

  Shelby hadn't decided whether to go to the show. She'd gone a few times and been humiliated – coming home without a single ribbon. Erin had consoled her by telling her it was because Blue was a paint. 'It's not your fault. You know that judges never even look at coloured breeds.'

  She listened to their banter, but she was disappointed. She'd thought that going out with superior riders – the Pony Club's 'Rider of the Year' even – would have been more fun, but it was boring. She was also still smarting from Hayley calling her an idiot.

  They reached the back gate and Shelby drew Blue alongside it, reaching through to unclasp the latch. 'Come on,' she said, manoeuvring him through the gap. The other two passed through.

  The trail narrowed as the scrub crept up on either side. They walked single file with Hayley in the lead.

  'Shelby's thinking about getting a new horse,' Erin said.

  'Yeah? What are you going to get?' Hayley asked, turning around. She rested her hand on Ditto's rump.

  She might be excellent in the show ring, but she's not good on the trails, Shelby thought. Anything could jump out of the bush – a kangaroo, or a lizard – or there could be a low-hanging branch. When you were in the lead you needed to watch where you were going.

  Shelby shrugged. 'Not sure yet. I was thinking of leasing something.'

  'Are you going through a broker?'

  Shelby shook her head. 'I was going to swap Blue for something a bit more . . .' She trailed off.

  Hayley nodded. 'Getting rid of your first horse is really hard. I cried for ages when we sold my first one, but after a while you get used to it.'

  'How many have you had?' asked Shelby.

  'I don't know,' said Hayley, smiling. 'Ten, maybe?'

  'Wow,' said Shelby.

  'At first I just had one, and then we decided to get two so I could compete in different classes. Then we sold the first one and got two more, and so on, and now we have these three. I don't mind any more, as long as they go to good homes. We'll probably end up selling Echo soon.'

  'Maybe you could buy him, Shel?' suggested Erin.

  Hayley shook her head. 'He's not really for trail riding. He'll probably go to someone who'll show him.'

  'I'm thinking about getting into showing,' said Shelby. 'How much do you want for him?'

  Hayley curled her lip. 'About ten grand.'

  'Ten grand!' Erin let out a low whistle. 'Are you serious? That's way out of your price range, Shel.'

  'Not necessarily,' said Shelby, tossing her head.

  'What do you mean not
necessarily? Ten grand! If your parents had a spare ten grand lying around they'd get a car that actually worked – or two new cars. They'd get a new house!'

  Shelby frowned. 'Dad would never sell his car. He loves it.'

  'Yeah, but what about your mum's heap of rubbish?'

  Sometimes she wished Erin would shut her trap. 'Is Ditto warmed up enough for a trot yet?' she asked, changing the subject.

  Hayley nodded and primly pushed him forward into a trot. Erin and Shelby followed. Blue threw his head up, straining at the reins.

  'Cool it,' Shelby said, and he settled down behind the other two horses.

  As they came around the bend the trail widened out again. Shelby could see a long, thick tree trunk had fallen across the path. It rested about fifty centimetres above the ground and she could see daylight underneath it. She pushed Blue forward, past the other two horses. He tucked his feet up and skipped over it. Erin and Bandit popped over too, but Hayley reined in Ditto just shy of the trunk.

  'Are you coming?' asked Shelby, wheeling around.

  Hayley looked left and right, trying to find another way around, but there was nothing but thick scrubby bush on either side.

  'Just jump it. There's nothing on the other side,' Erin said.

  Hayley shook her head.

  'You're not going to get around it,' said Shelby.

  'I might go back then. You two can go on ahead if you want.'

  Shelby raised an eyebrow at Erin, who sighed and jumped Bandit back over the other side. 'You go, Shel. I'd better be getting back anyway.'

  'No, I'll come with you guys.'

  They walked all the way back to the stables. When they reached the laneway, Mrs Crook came out of the tack room and helped Hayley with Ditto's saddle.

  'Do you want to go for a real ride now?' asked Shelby, lowering her voice so the Crooks couldn't hear.

  Erin shook her head. 'I'm going to have some lunch. How about later in the week?'

  Shelby said goodbye and took Blue home. She went the long way, around the edge of the gully past the Pony Club grounds, and looping back again, but still arrived home in the early afternoon. Her father was lying on the driveway under the car.